A large part of the nine-story skyscraper collapsed on Saturday after a rocket hit. At least 30 people were said to have died on Sunday evening. “The search for the people under the rubble continues,” said Resnichenko. The temperatures in Dnipro were below zero, which is why hardly any survivors were expected. The military governor put the number of wounded at 75, including two children. According to the information, more than 100 people survived the collapse of the house.
In his video address on Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the fight for everyone would continue. “And the rescue work will continue as long as there is even the slightest chance of saving a life.”
Moscow expresses itself only indirectly
Zelenskyi addressed the population in the neighboring country in Russian: “I would like to address everyone in Russia who even now do not have a few words of condemnation for this terror, although they see and understand everything clearly. Your cowardly silence will only end with those terrorists coming after you too one day.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not comment on the many civilian casualties. Instead, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov only said on Sunday with regard to the latest attacks: “All designated objects were hit. The aim of the blow has been achieved.”
Power outages in many places
The attack on Dnipro, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, was the most momentous of several attacks on Saturday. The most violent wave of Russian attacks since the turn of the year was again directed against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In addition to Dnipropetrovsk, the region around Kyiv, Lviv in the west and Kharkiv in the east were also badly affected. There were power outages in many places.
Ukraine also prepared the population for new problems with the electricity supply. Nationwide, the already significantly reduced amount of electricity per household in many places had to be further reduced on Sunday in order to avoid major bottlenecks, said the state electricity network operator Ukrenerho.
Stoltenberg: “In a crucial phase of the war”
Zelenskyi also renewed his call for heavy weapons. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Kyiv could receive these “in the near future”. On Friday, members of the Ukraine Contact Group, which includes the US, Britain and Germany, will meet at the US Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.
“We are in a crucial phase of the war,” NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg told the German “Handelsblatt”. Military support is the fastest way to peace. “The recent commitments for heavy war equipment are important – and I expect more in the near future,” said the Norwegian.
Great Britain advances with tank deliveries
Great Britain expressed its thanks to Selenskyj. London had pledged to supply Ukraine with a total of 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks.
Britain is the first country to provide modern western heavy battle tanks to Kyiv. This is a signal to other partners in his country to do the same, said Selenskyj. So far, Ukraine has received Western-style infantry fighting, anti-aircraft and wheeled tanks, but only ex-Soviet or Russian models of main battle tanks, mostly by means of ring exchanges from Eastern European NATO countries, which received Western models in return.
Dispute Leopard 2
Above all, the Ukraine has been pushing Germany for weeks to deliver the modern Leopard 2, the A4 version of which is also used in the Austrian army and is technically superior to Russian tanks. Poland and Finland want to make some Leopard models made in Germany available. Berlin has so far rejected this, within the “traffic light coalition” of the government made up of SPD, FDP and Greens, the topic is controversial.
Berlin does not want to be pushed
In any case, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) does not want to be pushed, as he recently confirmed again – probably due to the fear that German tank deliveries could draw NATO deeper into the conflict in Ukraine or allow it to escalate further.
Moscow issued corresponding threats to London over the delivery of the Challenger 2. Germany has so far supplied Gepard anti-aircraft vehicles, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles are to follow, as well as artillery, anti-aircraft and radar systems.
